Environmental problems

Environmental Problems and

Ecological Balance in Asia

By:MISS BLESS BERNARDO

JULY 2012

Biodiversity

Refers to the diversity of life in all its forms that comprise the natural world.

range of organisms in environment: the range of organisms present in a particular

ecological community or system. It can be measured by the numbers and types of different species, or the genetic variations within

and between species.

• sum of all the different species of animals, plants,

fungi, and microbial organisms living on Earth

and the variety of habitats in which they live.

Problems due to High Population Density

• Unprecedented population growth and high population density are the two crucial problems of the Asian region to date.• As population continues to grow, more

arable land is needed, leads to other problems such as desertification, salinization, and alkalinization.

• Leads to lack of space for human occupancy.• Leads to the destruction of the

natural habitat of different species of flora and fauna.• Rapid population growth also

results to problems of waste disposal and different pollutions.

POLLUTION!!!

WHAT IS POLLUTION???• It is when the harmful substances

contaminate the environment• Refers to the bad condition of

environment in terms of quantity and quality

• The only a image in one's mind of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem

Types of PollutionAir PollutionThermal PollutionLight PollutionNoise Pollution Land PollutionWater PollutionRadioActive Pollution

Land Degradation• As humans continue to exploit and

intensify land use, minerals are lost.• It also erodes the fertility of the

soil.• Improper irrigation may lead to

SALINIZATION and ALKALINIZATION.

• Salinization – salts come to the surface of the land or salt is carried in by water.When water wells are overused,

the water table lowers and saltwater or blackish water usually starts to permeate.

• Desertification – transformation of fertile land into a desert through soil erosion or overcultivation.

The destruction of land in arid, semi-arid and sub-humid areas that leads

to the loss of productivity.(70% of West Asia are arid)

Urbanization• 40% of the population in the Asia-

Pacific region lives in urban areas.• Urbanization brings about a series of

environmental problems.• Improper disposal of solid waste

endangers human health and it also contaminates air, soil, and water.

Deforestation

• Is indiscriminate cutting or over-harvesting of trees for lumber or

pulp, or to clear the land for agriculture, ranching,

construction, or other human activities.

• Deforestation is a crucial problem because it diminishes natural resources that are valuable to the people of a particular region.• Brings major problems such as soil

erosion, flooding, siltation, and sedimentation.• Major causes are commercial logging,

slash and burn agriculture, cutting down of trees for fuel wood and forest fires.

Air Pollution

Contamination of the atmosphere by gaseous, liquid, or solid wastes or by-products

that can endanger human health and the health and welfare of

plants and animals, or can attack materials, reduce visibility, or

produce undesirable odors

Causes V.S. effects

• This is starting to have adverse effects on the environment such as causing acid rain, smog and a wide variety of health problems

• Cars, trucks, jet airplanes and other combustion engine vehicles cause air pollution.

• Causes respiratory health problems and holes in the ozone layer, which increases the exposure to the sun's harmful rays

• Industrialized countries have worked to reduce levels of sulfur dioxide, smog, and smoke in order to improve people's health.

• The health effects caused by air pollution may include difficulty in breathing, wheezing, coughing and aggravation of existing respiratory and cardiac conditions

How Can We Prevent Air Pollution?

• Public Transport: Whenever possible, try to travel by

public transports. This helps in two ways; prevents air pollution and

increases public income. If you are going to a nearby place, go by

walking or use a bicycle, instead of using your vehicle. The objective is

to minimize the use of fuels as far as possible

Saving Energy: Saving energy will, of course, help to prevent air pollution. Switch off the lights, fans, air conditioners,

televisions, and other appliances, when not in use. You can also

share a room with others when the air conditioner or fan is on, instead

of switching them on in every room.

Recyclable Materials: Recycling is a simple approach to

reduce pollution in two ways; save energy which is required for

disposing and minimize the pollutants released during manufacturing. The list of

recyclable materials include plastic bottles, aluminum cans

and utensils, paper, craft papers, cardboard, corrugated boxes, and

glass bottles

irritating noise from environment:

irritating, distracting, or physically dangerous noise to which people are exposed in their environment and over which they usually have no

control.

Noise Pollution or Sound Pollution exposure of people or animals to levels of sound that are annoying, stressful, or damaging to the ears.

Although loud and frightening sounds are part of nature, only in recent centuries has much of the

world become urban, industrial, and chronically noisy.

•Most noise pollution comes from machines, especially automobiles, trucks, and aircraft. Construction equipment, farm machines, and the din of machinery inside factories can be dangerously loud. •Some home appliances, shop tools, lawnmowers, and leaf blowers can also be noisy, as are guns, firecrackers, and some toys. •Even music, when played at very high volume, particularly through personal headphones, is as damaging to the ears as a roaring chain saw.

Water Pollution

What is Water Pollution?

Is contamination of streams, lakes, underground water,

bays, or oceans by substances harmful to living

things.

MARINE WATER CONTAMINATION- Is prevalent in almost all of the coastal regions of

Asia.Solid waste and untreated wastewater from industries and factories are two of the most

common marine water pollutants. Pollutants from industrial sources may pour out from the outfall pipes of factories or may leak

from pipelines and underground storage tanks. Cities and other residential communities contribute mostly sewage, with traces of

household chemicals mixed in.

Red Tide• This is a result of microscopic organisms called

“dinoflagellates” that float in water. • poisonous reddish seawater: a brownish red

discoloration in seawater, caused by an increased presence of plant-based plankton that sometimes leads to the poisoning of fish and, consequently, of those who eat fish.

• There arises a scarcity of oxygen that causes the death water resources. Shellfishes are poisoned.

Causes Of Water PollutionThese pollutants include fertilizers and

pesticides from agricultural runoff; sewage and food processing waste; lead, mercury, and other heavy metals; chemical wastes from industrial discharges; and chemical contamination from hazardous waste sites

Water pollution can come from a number of different sources. If the pollution comes from a single source, such as an oil spill, it is called point-source pollution.

Effects Of Water PollutionIf severe, water pollution can kill large numbers

of fish, birds, and other animals, in some cases killing all members of a species in an affected area.

Pollution makes streams, lakes, and coastal waters unpleasant to look at, to smell, and to swim in. Fish and shellfish harvested from polluted waters may be unsafe to eat.

People who ingest polluted water can become ill, and, with prolonged exposure, may develop cancers or bear children with birth defects.

How Can We Prevent Water Pollution?

• Installation of filtration system is a good step. It is the most effective and working prevention of water pollution.

• At homes clearing up drains also acts as water pollution control.

• Water conservation is also a step for water pollution prevention in India.

• Hence, it can be noticed that, a small effort from cleaning the waste before

throwing in to garbage or drains can also contribute a lot in water pollution

prevention

Solid Waste Disposal

Disposal of normally solid or semisolid materials,

resulting from human and animal activities, that are

useless, unwanted, or hazardous.

Solid wastes typically may be classified as follows:

• Garbage: decomposable wastes from food• Rubbish: nondecomposable wastes, either combustible (such as

paper, wood, and cloth) or noncombustible (such as metal, glass, and ceramics)

• Ashes: residues of the combustion of solid fuels• Large wastes: demolition and construction debris and trees• Dead animals• Sewage-treatment solids: material retained on sewage-treatment

screens, settled solids, and biomass sludge• Industrial wastes: such materials as chemicals, paints, and sand• Mining wastes: slag heaps and coal refuse piles• Agricultural wastes: farm animal manure and crop residues.

Loss of Biodiversity• The underlying cause of biodiversity loss

is the explosion in human population, now at 6 billion, but expected to double

again by the year 2050. The human population already consumes nearly half

of all the food, crops, medicines, and other useful items produced by the

Earth’s organisms, and more than 1 billion people on Earth lack adequate supplies of

fresh water.

• The conversion of forests, grasslands, and wetlands for agricultural purposes, coupled with the

multiplication and growth of urban centers and the building of dams and canals, highways, and railways, has physically altered ecosystems to the point that extinction of species has reached its current alarming pace.

Ecological Balance

It is of utmost importance that the ecological balance of Asia

is maintained because the ecological condition of Asia affects the overall quality of

the global environment.